Shadow Empire

Chapter 899: The Power Born from Despair

As mentioned before, thinking is a very destructive thing.

You can stay together with your best friend or good brother forever, but the premise is that you should not think about certain details of your relationship.

As long as you think about it, ponder it, and interpret it, you will find that maybe you are not the best of friends or brothers.

The social structure in the country of Lapa is the same.

Before Lance raised this topic and led people to think and explore it based on preconceived ideas, the Lapa people, including Pedro, did not think there was anything wrong with their country.

Isn’t this how we have been living all these years?

From their ancestors, to their grandfathers, to their parents, then them, and then their children and even further descendants.

This is how everyone comes here.

There may be a certain period of time when they feel disappointed with life, but they will soon be perfunctory by thinking "this is life" and continue to maintain their current life.

It’s as if the whole world has a powerful corrective force that allows them to ignore the unreasonable things in life.

And then until Lance brought it up.

In the presence of contrast, some things that people could actually tolerate will be magnified, such as food issues.

Food is an issue that everyone cannot avoid, because people have to eat to live.

Everyone has to eat every day.

What's on the table for the Federation people?
On the dining tables of those at the bottom of society.

It's beef, it's vegetables, it's whole wheat bread or bread with refined flour, and butter, or cheese, or something else.

We are all small characters at the bottom of the society, so why can the Federals eat their fill and eat a variety of foods, while the Lapa people can only eat garbage food?

Everyone contributes the same amount of labor, so why can federal workers earn the wages needed to support themselves and their families, but the Lapa people can't even fill their stomachs?

Sometimes, all it takes to derail a topic is a complaint!
Sometimes the discussion would be heated, for example, Lance asked a question -

“Has the government of Lapa played any positive role in the country’s development?”

“Although we always say that the federal government is bad, and some people scold or sue the president, the federal government plays a key role in the development of society.”

"Under the auspices of the federal government, banks will provide loans to small or micro businesses to help them get through the winter."

"We will also provide some entrepreneurs with a certain degree of policy support or loan support so that they can successfully establish their own business territory."

"The federal government has been playing a positive role in promoting this. So has the Lapa government, the government of President Diego, played this role?"

“What role did they play in the social progress of Lapa?”

This topic is obviously intended to fan the flames. If it were brought up at the beginning, people here would probably remain silent.

Diego is not a guy who is easy to mess with. He may be able to control his temper with foreigners, but to his countrymen, he has always been synonymous with the big devil.

Only after a few rounds of fanning the flames and guiding the discussion, these "progressive-minded" gentlemen who participated in the discussion had completely let go and began to complain about the inaction of the Diego government.

"I've never heard of ordinary people being able to get loans from banks. Although they do have this business, it's just like... Mr. Lance, as you heard, people like us are classified as inferior people."

"We can't borrow a penny from the bank, but those upper-class people can get money from the bank without any collateral."

"The gap between the rich and the poor in society will only get bigger and bigger. It is true that the rich will get richer, and we poor people will only get poorer!"

The speaker was recognized by the surrounding seminar participants, and Pedro couldn't help but express some of his own opinions.

"Our government is not playing the role that a government should play. They are not thinking about helping our country and people achieve common prosperity. They are just enriching themselves."

"Look here, all the profitable industries are either controlled by them or they must also invest in them, but they rarely use the money they earn on ordinary people."

"This forms a vicious cycle, where wealth continues to flow among only a small group of people, which is harmful to the majority of people!"

"It's not like the federal government, they take taxes from the people and spend that money on the people."

"So even the lowest-level workers can have beef on their table!"

Pedro panted, and after saying these words he felt comfortable all over, as if... he was constipated for a long time and suddenly felt relieved.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "What's worse is that we can't change anything!"

This sentence caused the reading room, which was originally filled with heated discussions, to suddenly become quiet.

Another high school teacher from another city said softly, "The biggest difference between us and the federation is that the power structure of the federation is bottom-up."

“People elect politicians they believe are reliable and trustworthy through elections.”

"Politicians elected by the people build the country's system, so politicians who come from the people will definitely consider the interests of the people."

“But in Lapa, power is top-down and hereditary.”

"The president's son is still the president, the minister's son is still the minister, and as for us?"

"The son of a commoner will always be a commoner!"

The guy who was talking was in his fifties, with gray hair and a thin build. He wore a pair of round black-framed glasses, the lenses of which looked a little blurry, probably because he had used them for a long time.

He took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with his clothes, and put them back on. "I have worn this pair of glasses for 17 or 18 years. It's not that they have any special meaning to me, but I just can't bear to spend money to buy a new pair."

"Because it's new, it's very expensive and it costs me two months' salary."

"This is Lapa, it's so bad it makes people feel suffocated!"

"If we don't change the current structure of society, we won't even be able to take the first step, let alone catch up with the Federation!"

The room suddenly became quiet. He got to the heart of the matter. Lapa's power did not come from the people, so the people would not benefit from ruling.

This is a dead end. If we don't change these things, it seems that we will never be able to develop like the federation.

There was a little more smile on Lance's face. If a person had never been disappointed or even desperate, how could he have the idea of ​​opening up a new path?

"What about the Republic of Jede?" Lance asked. "The power of the Republic of Jede seems to be hereditary as well. I heard that their power has always been circulating among small groups, which is very similar to the situation in Lapa."

"Why can the Republic of Zede do it, but Rapa can't?"

When people are caught up in intense emotions, they lose some of their ability to think. If they calm down now, they can feel that Lance seems to be guiding them.

But now their emotions were surging, and they didn't consider the situation here at all. The middle-aged teacher continued, "The ruling class of the Republic of Czech is relatively open-minded and smart."

"They know the benefits of a strong country and have tasted the sweetness of it, so they will become more civilized and open, just like the Federation."

"Maybe they won't let the people decide who the rulers are in the end, but they will put some of the dividends of development into the hands of ordinary people instead of putting them in their own banks."

"This is the biggest difference. We need a group of smart..." He suddenly stopped here and did not continue, but everyone knew what he wanted to express.

Lapa is controlled by a greedy and stupid ruling group, which has delayed their development and made the people live in misery.

"Changing the ruler" is a very dangerous idea, but this idea has a strong ability to survive and spread.

If you don't generate this thought, you won't think about it further.

But once you have this thought, it will cling to you like a demon, gripping you tighter and tighter.

The room was silent, everyone had their own ideas, and group consciousness was fully demonstrated at this moment! When a leader appeared in the chaotic crowd, the directionless flocks would rush towards the leader.

Change the president.

Change the rulers!
This dangerous information served as nutrients to nourish the seeds of danger and entered everyone's heart.

However, no one continued to discuss this issue, and Lance did not continue to steer the topic in this direction. Instead, he talked about education and the different education systems between the two countries.

There are quite a few teachers here who are more concerned about this issue and understand it better.

Pedro also joined in the heated discussion again.

Before they knew it, it was dinner time. Lance took them to a nearby restaurant and booked the entire place.

The food was more delicious than at noon and there were more cooking techniques. Some participants couldn’t help but sigh at this moment that this was the real “life”, not just being alive.

When he returned to the hotel at night, Pedro was sorting out some things he had written down during the day's discussion. After checking them, he put them on the bedside table, then lay down on the bed, waiting to rest.

Television is not even widely available in the Federation, let alone in Lapa.

There is a radio station here, but there is only one and it is often not working.

They only make noises during holidays to sing praises of the ruling group.

Pedro, lying in bed, was not sleepy at all. He rested his head on the pillow and thought about what they had discussed in the afternoon.

Gradually, those "elements" of discussion gradually came together to form a more complete idea in his mind.

If the current ruling group is not changed, the Lapa people will never be happy, and will never be able to achieve development like the Federation, and will not even be as good as the Czech Republic.

This made Pedro suddenly become very desperate!
The darkness bound him tightly at this moment, he was gasping for breath, and his breathing became extremely heavy!
He closed his eyes, and after a long time, his emotions finally eased.

When people are desperate, they really feel desperate!

If he didn't know all this, he would be just like those people outside, those ordinary people, those people sleeping on the roadside, thinking nothing and considering nothing.

If he smiles at the people around him at dawn and finds a place to stay overnight at night, perhaps he won't have so many worries.

He thought of his own children, and the lives of the federal students in the movie. He thought of the children being able to breathe the fresh, sweet air, drink sweet water, and enjoy freedom from the inside out under such a free sky. He felt an impulse!
People should be free. Nature nurtured human beings, not to lock them in cages from birth.

People also need freedom. Only by soaring in the free sky can they shine brightly!

He thought a lot at night and finally fell into a deep sleep in a daze.

When he woke up the next morning, he looked a little haggard. When he left the hotel, he happened to meet the middle-aged teacher from yesterday.

The two greeted each other and walked towards the library together.

“What do you think is the purpose of…the federals having us attend these seminars, showing us movies, promoting all kinds of stuff?” Pedro asked.

He actually already had an answer in his heart, but he didn't quite believe it, or he didn't think the result was feasible.

The middle-aged teacher smiled and said, "Many times in class, when students ask me a question that is not within the scope of learning, I prefer to let them think for themselves."

"In fact, he didn't know. When he asked this question, he already had an answer in his mind, but he was just not sure."

"He was not sure whether the answer in his mind was consistent with the answer in our book, and whether it was the correct answer, so he asked."

"Pedro, is it okay for me to call you that?"

Pedro nodded and said, "Of course."

"When you asked me this question, did you already have an answer in your mind, but you were not sure whether this answer was correct?"

Looking at the half-smile on the old teacher's face, Pedro had already got what he wanted.

From the subtle changes in his face and expression, the old teacher laughed out loud, "I think the same as you, they don't come with good intentions."

"But I only saw their bad intentions, not towards us, but towards those who have influenced Lapa for so many years."

"As for being unfriendly to us, I haven't noticed any. I think they need us very much."

"Maybe that's why they keep showing us the freedom, human rights and democracy of the Federation. They want to buy us off with these things."

The two crossed the road and jogged a few steps.

Although there are not many vehicles on Zhuolan Street, it does not mean that there are none.

The police here are elusive. They will drive away ordinary people who stay on the road by beating them with sticks in their hands.

Both of them are teachers, and they don't want to be chased with a stick.

Pedro could sense the old teacher's wisdom, and he humbly asked, "Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing for us?"

The old teacher smiled and pursed his lips. "This question is difficult to explain clearly. Let me give you an example."

"We are all poor, and those people are rich. Now there is a group of outsiders telling us."

"They'll give us money to support them. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

Pedro answered thoughtfully, "In the short term, it's a good thing."

The old teacher also thought so, "Yes, at least we get the money now, as for the future..."

He stopped walking, with a faint smile on his face, "Our life is already like this, even if it gets worse, how much worse can it get?"

This statement was obviously biased. After a brief thought, Pedro agreed with his idea. "No matter how bad it is, it can't be that bad."

The old teacher sighed softly, "Actually... I don't have any prejudice or dissatisfaction with them... Well, a little bit."

"It's just that we should take a look at the world."

"The world before us was only this small area in front of us. We can maintain that kind of life because being weak and backward will not lead to destruction."

"But the situation is different now, Pedro. The war that has taken place is telling us that if we are weak, we will be destroyed!"

"Our families, ourselves, our property, our land, everything, will become someone else's spoils."

"I know this may make you feel... a little unrealistic, but I want to tell you."

"If we don't change, it may be too late."

"I don't want my children and grandchildren to be slaves. The Commonwealth abolished slavery, but they didn't say the overseas territories abolished slavery."

"And this is also an opportunity to break down class barriers."

"No matter what you think, I will take the initiative to catch him."

He paused here, patted Pedro's arm, and walked into the library.

Pedro looked back at the bustling streets and crowds below the stairs, and looked at the gray sun. He stood there in a daze for a while, then followed him into the library.

For several days, people participating in the seminar in the library experienced a "baptism". They were exposed to many things, such as "the spirit of freedom", "power comes from the people", and "the working class and ordinary people are the main body of the country."

If the local ruling groups knew what they were talking about, they would definitely tell them that these were conspiracies of capitalist countries and were highly toxic poison.

But to people like Pedro, this is a kind of honey, a kind of honey that can make them feel the future and hope, it is a panacea!
(End of this chapter)